It is hard to disagree that nowadays, numerous factors affect people every day, not allowing men and women to live their lives as they truly want. From an early age, girls and boys are imposed on gender-specific behaviors and stereotyped prohibitions and limits. They are forced to evaluate themselves and others by different universal criteria. One of these criteria is the weight and figure of a person. Despite the fact that all people have different genetic characteristics that affect the shape of their bodies, society tries to make all men and women slim and athletic (Turnbridge). Unfortunately, such criteria have a very negative effect on people’s mental health.
Eating disorders are extremely severe and underrated conditions that can be dangerous for both females and males of all ages. These disorders typically include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating, and restrictive food intake disorder (Foundation for Research and Education in Eating Disorders). It is essential to notice that both ordinary people and fashion models can develop these conditions, and their effects may be different. For example, fashion models are almost always under severe pressure: they have to maintain their slimness, and it is typical for their contracts to include the breast-waist-hip circumference (Bogár and Túry, “Abusing the Body” 1).
Therefore, among the desire to look better than other models, who may be the competitors, men and women in the fashion industry are under constant fear of losing their contracts and jobs (Bloomfield-Deal). These factors contribute to the development of eating disorders among models and make their states more dangerous, leading to depression or drug and alcohol addictions (Bogár and Túry, “Risk Factors of Eating Disorders”).
As for ordinary people who are not involved in the fashion industry, the effects of eating disorders are almost the same, but some factors are still different. Persons with anorexia or bulimia nervosa can develop depression, anxiety, and various addictions (Eating Disorders Programme). However, they also typically have low self-esteem, which is not very common to fashion models. Additionally, ordinary men and women dealing with eating disorders are usually alone in their struggle, which makes them feel alienated and not accepted (Eating Disorders Programme). They are afraid of talking about their problems because society does not believe that eating disorders are real. At the same time, fashion models and support each other, and their feeling of loneliness is not as strong.
Works Cited
Bloomfield-Deal, Elizabeth. “The Fashion Industry & Body Image; Transcending the Acquisition of Thinness.” Eating Disorder Hope, 2015. Web.
Bogár, Nikolett, and Ferenc Túry. “Abusing the Body: Psychological Abuse? The Bioethical Aspects of the Fashion Model Profession.” Journal of Obesity & Eating Disorders, vol. 4, no. 1:03, 2018, pp. 1-4.
—. “Risk Factors of Eating Disorders in the Narratives of Fashion Models.” Psychiatria Hungarica, vol. 32, no. 1, 2017, pp. 41-53.
Eating Disorders Programme. “​Eating Disorder Complications: Medical Risks, Psychological Effects and Social Impact.” Healthxchange. Web.
Foundation for Research and Education in Eating Disorders. “Types of Eating Disorders.” Freed. 2018. Web.
Turnbridge. “The Effects of Eating Disorders & How They Can Lead to Addiction.” Turnbridge. Web.